Apple v Samsung trial begins; here comes the bloodbath

Erica, 30th July 2012

Get ready, folks. This isn't going to be pretty for anyone.

After both sides jostled for months to get summary judgments in their favor, and worked tirelessly to prevent this case from actually going through the painstaking trial process, jury selection has begun in what will be one of the grandest patent battles in consumer technology history.

The two tech titans have been at each other's throats ever since Apple decided to file lawsuits in numerous countries around the world, claiming in part that Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet was a blatant ripoff of the iPad.

Samsung has fought back with its own patent infringement claims against Apple, but things really heated up when some courts sided with Apple and put up temporary or even permanent bans of the Galaxy Tab.

Here in the US, Samsung was dealt a severe blow when a federal judge said the tablet could not remain on sale here during the trial, saying that the facts are not clear cut and the only way the pretrial ban would be lifted is if Samsung wins the case.

Also at stake is Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone, which Apple also claims infringes on its patents. Expect all sorts of previously undisclosed secrets about both companies' mobile devices as the trial gets underway.

The case is expected to last no shorter than four weeks. Billions of dollars are on the line, and both companies' fate will be ruled on by a jury of 10 Silicon Valley, California residents.